Hymn to Indra
Rigveda IV.32 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 4 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
Hail to thee, O Indra, the dragon-slayer, the liberator of the captive waters! Once more we sing thy praises, for thy deeds are eternal, thy victory forever. When Vṛtra lay in the mountain's breast, keeping the waters bound in darkness, thou didst smite him with thy thunderbolt and rent the stone asunder.
Then did the waters break forth as a torrent, rushing down like wild mares from the stall, freed at last from their confinement. The mountains trembled, the earth shook, and all the devas cried out in jubilation at thy mighty deed. The plants did flourish, the cattle grew fat, and the Soma flowed forth to gladden the hearts of men.
See how the waters dance now in their freedom, flowing to every land, giving life where once was only stone and silence. Thou hast made them fruitful and abundant, O Indra. The rains descend at thy bidding; the rivers course through the valleys singing thy praise.
We have seen thy work manifest in every season that turneth. When the monsoon cometh and the sky breaketh open, we know it is thy power at work, the same power that smote Vṛtra in the ancient time. Thou art the keeper of the waters, the master of the storm, the eternal guardian of the life-giving floods.
Let the praises of men and gods rise up to thee, O Indra the Mighty! Accept our offerings and our hymns. Bring the rains upon our fields; fill our rivers; make abundant the flocks of those who honour thee. Thy victory over Vṛtra is our salvation, and we shall sing of it world without end.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda IV.32
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
ā tū na indra vṛtrahann asmākam ardham ā gahi |
mahān mahībhir ūtibhiḥ || 1 ||
bhṛmiś cid ghāsi tūtujir ā citra citriṇīṣv ā |
citraṁ kṛṇoṣy ūtaye || 2 ||
dabhrebhiś cic chaśīyāṁsaṁ haṁsi vrādhantam ojasā |
sakhibhir ye tve sacā || 3 ||
vayam indra tve sacā vayaṁ tvābhi nonumaḥ |
asmām̐-asmām̐ id ud ava || 4 ||
sa naś citrābhir adrivo 'navadyābhir ūtibhiḥ |
anādhṛṣṭābhir ā gahi || 5 ||
bhūyāmo ṣu tvāvataḥ sakhāya indra gomataḥ |
yujo vājāya ghṛṣvaye || 6 ||
tvaṁ hy eka īśiṣa indra vājasya gomataḥ |
sa no yandhi mahīm iṣam || 7 ||
na tvā varante anyathā yad ditsasi stuto magham |
stotṛbhya indra girvaṇaḥ || 8 ||
abhi tvā gotamā girānūṣata pra dāvane |
indra vājāya ghṛṣvaye || 9 ||
pra te vocāma vīryā3 yā mandasāna ārujaḥ |
puro dāsīr abhītya || 10 ||
tā te gṛṇanti vedhaso yāni cakartha pauṁsyā |
suteṣv indra girvaṇaḥ || 11 ||
avīvṛdhanta gotamā indra tve stomavāhasaḥ |
aiṣu dhā vīravad yaśaḥ || 12 ||
yac cid dhi śaśvatām asīndra sādhāraṇas tvam |
taṁ tvā vayaṁ havāmahe || 13 ||
arvācīno vaso bhavāsme su matsvāndhasaḥ |
somānām indra somapāḥ || 14 ||
asmākaṁ tvā matīnām ā stoma indra yacchatu |
arvāg ā vartayā harī || 15 ||
puroḻāśaṁ ca no ghaso joṣayāse giraś ca naḥ |
vadhūyur iva yoṣaṇām || 16 ||
sahasraṁ vyatīnāṁ yuktānām indram īmahe |
śataṁ somasya khāryaḥ || 17 ||
sahasrā te śatā vayaṁ gavām ā cyāvayāmasi |
asmatrā rādha etu te || 18 ||
daśa te kalaśānāṁ hiraṇyānām adhīmahi |
bhūridā asi vṛtrahan || 19 ||
bhūridā bhūri dehi no mā dabhram bhūry ā bhara |
bhūri ghed indra ditsasi || 20 ||
bhūridā hy asi śrutaḥ purutrā śūra vṛtrahan |
ā no bhajasva rādhasi || 21 ||
pra te babhrū vicakṣaṇa śaṁsāmi goṣaṇo napāt |
mābhyāṁ gā anu śiśrathaḥ || 22 ||
kanīnakeva vidradhe nave drupade arbhake |
babhrū yāmeṣu śobhete || 23 ||
aram ma usrayāmṇe 'ram anusrayāmṇe |
babhrū yāmeṣv asridhā || 24 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
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